


Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

by allstring



Category: Magic Funhouse (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 12:24:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12321024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allstring/pseuds/allstring
Summary: The rise and fall of Arlo and Jimmy's relationship, followed by rage and grace.





	Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

**Author's Note:**

> AN: The title has nothing to do with the Offspring album, I just thought it fit the story arc.

“We’re live in-”  
“Five minutes! I know! Jesus Christ Jimmy, don’t you have anything better to do?” Arlo yelled, his mismatched eyes burning with intensity. Jimmy deflated slightly, adjusting his glasses.  
“Not really, no.” Arlo sighed exaggeratedly, putting in his other contact. Jimmy hovered in the doorway, uncertain what he should be doing. Arlo blinked, making sure the contact was in place, then swiveled around.  
“Why are you still here?” Jimmy put his hands on his hips.  
“Because it’s my job to make sure you get to set on time.”  
“When have I ever been late?” Arlo asked. Jimmy gave him a look. Arlo sighed again, brushing his hair back and carefully putting the wig over it. Jimmy leaned against the doorframe, ostensibly looking at his phone while sneaking as many glances as he could at Arlo.  
“Three minutes,” he murmured, checking his nails. Arlo slammed his makeup brush down on the table.  
“I know, dipshit! I have a clock!” Jimmy made a ‘hmph’ sound, pretending to look at his phone again. “Jimmy...” Jimmy looked up, intrigued by the sudden change of Arlo’s tone of voice.  
“Yeah?”  
“Why do you hang around me? I’m an asshole.” Jimmy considered for a few moments.  
“You’re not really an asshole, you just act like one to scare people away.” Arlo chuckled dryly.  
“Yeah, there’s a reason for that,” he mumbled, picking up the brush and powdering his nose. Jimmy put his phone away, crossing his arms.  
“I know there’s a good person deep down inside you, Arlo Dittman. And I’m gonna find him, even if I have to yank him out kicking and screaming.” Arlo snorted, putting on his hat.  
“Good luck with-”  
“And we’re live in ten, nine, eight-” They heard Manjusha call. They looked at each other for a split second before rushing to the set.  
\---  
Arlo held his pose until he saw Manjusha give the thumbs up. He slouched over, taking off his wig and pulling out a cigarette.  
“Alright assholes, that wasn’t total shit, which is as good as we’re ever gonna get.” He lit the cigarette, heading for the back door, but was stopped by Sacha’s hand on his shoulder.  
“Arlo, why are you smoking?” Arlo looked at the cigarette and shrugged.  
“Because I hate myself?”  
“But you only smoke when you’re stressed.” Arlo pushed past her, opening the door.  
“Yeah, well, I’m always stressed,” he said as the door closed behind him. Sacha turned around, putting her hands on her hips.  
“Alright, who pissed him off?” All eyes immediately went to Dave, who put his hands up defensively.  
“Hey, don’t look at me! I haven’t even talked to him today.” Cliff took off his hat.  
“Maybe it was me. I accidentally ate some candy he had in his dressing room.”  
“How do you accidentally... Never mind,” Sacha said, swiveling to face Jimmy. “Was it you?” Jimmy looked down at his shoes.  
“Maybe.” Sacha rolled her eyes.  
“Go apologize.”  
“He’ll just get even more pissed!” Sacha sternly pointed to the door. Jimmy sighed, adjusting his glasses.  
\---  
Jimmy opened the door cautiously, starting slightly when he saw Arlo staring at him.  
“Hey, Ar-”  
“Did you forget the smoke break rule?” Arlo asked, flicking some ash off the end of his cigarette. “When I’m on a smoke break, no one gets to bug me. So piss off.”  
“Sacha told me to come out here and apologize.” Arlo took a long drag before responding.  
“Apologize for what?” Jimmy took off his glasses, absentmindedly polishing them with the hem of his shirt.  
“She thinks I pissed you off earlier when I said you weren’t an asshole.” He put his glasses back on just in time to catch Arlo staring at him. Arlo shook his head slightly, dropping the used cigarette onto the pavement.  
“I’m not pissed, I just... I need to think about some things.” He leaned against the wall, putting his hands in his pockets and sighing. Jimmy looked out onto the street watching the local crackhead twitch on a nearby bench. “That means you should leave, Jimmy,” Arlo added for emphasis.  
Jimmy tried to turn the handle, but it was locked shut. He scowled, leaning against it and folding his arms. Arlo pulled out a fresh cigarette, turned it over in his fingers for a few moments, then put it away again.  
“Hey, Jimmy,” he said suddenly.  
“Yeah?”  
“Do you really need to wear those glasses?” Jimmy touched them self-consciously.  
“Uh, yeah. I’m farsighted.” Arlo chuckled, smirking.  
“That’s a shame. You almost look sorta nice without them.” Jimmy’s heart ceased to beat for a brief second. Had Arlo Dittman just complimented him? Sure, it was in a backhanded, roundabout, insulting way, but it was a compliment nonetheless.  
As he was still processing the quasi-compliment, Arlo reached forward, taking Jimmy’s glasses off. Jimmy’s skin tingled where Arlo’s fingertips brushed it.  
“See? Now you look halfway decent. You should get contacts.” Jimmy blinked, trying to bring Arlo into focus.  
“I don’t know, I kind of have a look going.” Jimmy’s vision must have been worse than he thought, because he thought he could just barely make out Arlo smiling. Arlo handed back the glasses, and Jimmy put them on to see Arlo’s normal sullen features.  
“Well, I guess we have to go around to the front to get back in,” Arlo said, brushing past Jimmy. Jimmy gulped, then followed. Man, have I got it bad, he thought to himself.  
\---  
“Jimmy?” Jimmy looked up from the desk, phone to his ear. He was about to shush his visitor and tell them to wait until he was finished, but he nearly dropped the phone when he saw who it was.  
“Arlo, what’s up?” he said, straining to sound casual.  
“Well, since I’m sweating my balls off in here, I was gonna go get some ice cream.” Jimmy picked up the phone again.  
“Oh, okay. Have fun.” Arlo lingered at the desk, mouth twitching slightly.  
“Do you... wanna come with?” Jimmy’s mouth hung open and he blinked rapidly. He hung up the phone.  
“You mean that?” Arlo snorted.  
“Course I do, dumbass. But I’m not paying!” Jimmy smiled, getting up from his chair.  
“Of course you aren’t. Come on, let’s go.”  
\---  
“Okay Arlo, who made you do this?” Jimmy asked, slurping on his milkshake straw. Arlo said nothing, instead opting to take a huge bite of his fudge sundae. He swallowed, casting his eyes toward the pavement.  
“Nobody. Can’t I just do it on my own?” Jimmy set his chin in his hands.  
“I guess... But you’ve never done anything like this before. For anyone. So why now, and why me?” Arlo took another bite of his sundae, tensing as he experienced a mild brain-freeze.  
“Remember when I said I needed to think about a few things? Well I thought about them. I thought about what you said, about how I’m not an asshole. And I guess I realized... life would be more fun if I didn’t treat the people around me like shit. You know what I mean?” Jimmy nodded breathlessly. Had he been the one to finally get through to Arlo?  
“Well, I’m proud of you for realizing that about yourself.” Arlo rolled his eyes.  
“God, you sound like a therapist.” Jimmy smirked, steepling his fingers in front of him and cocking an eyebrow.  
“Tell me about your feelings, Mr. Dittman,” he intoned in his best German accent. Arlo froze, then broke out into peals of bright laughter. Jimmy was vaguely aware of his heart thumping rapidly in his chest, but at the moment his soul had fled his body.  
Arlo’s laughter subsided into occasional giggles, and he wiped a tear from his eye.  
“Oh my God, Jimmy, I never knew you were so funny!”  
“Me neither,” Jimmy said, sitting back in his chair. Arlo smiled, a sight that was all at once strange and familiar to Jimmy.  
“This whole not being an asshole thing is more fun than I thought it would be,” Arlo mused while scraping up the last bit of chocolate sauce from his bowl.  
“It’s nice to see this side of you, Arlo.” I hope it lasts, he added in his head.  
\---  
Jimmy and Manjusha hammered away at various boards of wood, trying to appear busy. Dave was out sick, Cliff was filming a rather questionable video, and Sacha was attending a friend’s wedding. Since Mr. Chronis rarely left his office, it was just the two of them and Arlo in the studio.  
As if on cue, Arlo strode onto the set. Jimmy and Manjusha jumped, hammering faster.  
“Hi Jimmy, hi Manjusha. What are you doing?”  
“Building the set,” Manjusha responded as she rubbed two pieces of wood together. Arlo looked at her, then at the set.  
“But the set’s already built. You guys can chill.” Jimmy and Manjusha looked at each other, setting their hammers down.  
“Arlo, are you feeling alright?” Manjusha asked.  
“Well, I kinda have to pee, but other than that I’m good. Why?”  
“You never let us ‘chill’,” Jimmy said. Arlo looked at him, expression softening imperceptibly.  
“But you guys aren’t even doing anything.” He headed for his dressing room, but turned around just before he rounded the corner.  
“Hey, Jimmy, are you doing anything tonight?” Jimmy felt the familiar fluttering in his heart.  
“No, why?”  
“Do you wanna go to a movie with me? I need a ride.” Jimmy smiled.  
“Sure.” The corners of Arlo’s mouth twitched up in what could be called a smile before he rounded the corner.  
Jimmy turned back to see Manjusha balling her fists and clenching her mouth shut.  
“Manny, are you-”  
“I have to tell you!” she suddenly said. “But you can’t tell Arlo that I did!” Jimmy leaned forward.  
“Gimme the gossip, honey.”  
“Arlo likes you,” Manny said, and Jimmy’s world fell away. If he hadn’t already been sitting, he likely would have dropped to the floor with the force of that statement.  
“You don’t mean-”  
“He tells me about you all the time! He says you look pretty with your glasses off and that you’re actually really nice! He’s driving me crazy with all this pining!”  
“Do you think I should-”  
“No, don’t make a move. This is Arlo we’re talking about. Wait for him to do something. He will, trust me.” Jimmy was breathless.  
“You really think so?”  
“Trust me,” Manjusha repeated, putting an arm on Jimmy’s shoulder.  
\---  
“Arlo, are you okay?” Jimmy asked, standing timidly outside Arlo’s dressing room, wherein the star of Magic Funhouse had barricaded himself.  
“What do you think, dipshit?” Jimmy grimaced at the insult, but persisted.  
“I know those laughter therapy guys were assholes, but-”  
“It’s not about that!” Arlo screamed. Jimmy jumped at the sudden outburst, then grabbed the handle.  
“Arlo, open the door.” Silence reigned for a moment, then Arlo heard the click of the door unlocking. Arlo wore his costume, his white eyes wild and his blue hair mussed. “Arlo... what’s wrong?”  
“What’s wrong?” Arlo barked out a laugh. “What’s wrong is that you’re all fucking LIARS!” Jimmy froze.  
“What do you-” Jimmy’s heart sank when Arlo whipped out two familiar blue pieces of paper.  
“How long!?” Arlo roared in Jimmy’s face. “HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN?”   
“Arlo, please, you have to understand! If we had told you, you would have been crushed!”  
“So instead you kept quiet and milked every last dollar out of me,” Arlo spat.  
“No, that’s not-” Arlo grabbed Jimmy by the collar, shaking him. If Jimmy hadn’t been afraid for his life, he might have gotten a little excited.  
“And then there’s you, you... you... You sick fuck! How have you not been jailed yet?” Jimmy scowled.  
“Had to go for the low-hanging fruit, huh?”  
“Yeah, cuz I go for easy shit! Just like you, Jimmy, you’re the easiest guy in this whole station, in this whole fucking town! Do you think I don’t notice the way you look at me? One crook of my finger and you’d do anything. It’s disgusting.” Jimmy simply hung in Arlo’s grip, nothing to say. “And to think, I was actually starting to like you, you lying child fucker.” Jimmy could feel unwanted tears welling up in his eyes.  
“Arlo, please.” Arlo let go of Jimmy’s collar, causing him to stumble against the wall.  
“Get the fuck out of my dressing room, you pervert.” Jimmy opened his mouth, then clamped it shut again, hurrying out the door.  
As soon as Jimmy made it to the set, he sat down hard, tears already spilling down his cheeks. The single swinging bulb illuminated Manjusha as she ran into the room.  
“Jimmy, where’s Arlo?”  
“I waited, Manjusha! I waited!” Jimmy wailed, hot tears staining his shirt front. His throat was tight and he felt as though he might throw up. “I waited...” he hiccuped as Manjusha dashed off to Arlo’s dressing room.  
\---  
“You broke his heart, Arlo!” Manjusha yelled. Arlo took a drag on his cigarette.  
“Yeah, well, I was gonna do it eventually. Best to do it before he got attached.” Manjusha glared at Arlo for a moment before grabbing him by his sparkly shirt and dragging him out to the set. She pointed at Jimmy, who sat hugging his knees to his chest, back heaving with the force of his sobs. Arlo reached out a hand to Jimmy, but Manjusha yanked him away.  
“Don’t you go near him! You’ve done enough damage.” Jimmy looked up at the sound, but all he caught was a purple coat tail swishing around the corner.  
\---  
Jimmy could hear commotion from the set, but he ignored it; he assumed it was just the dinner theater patrons getting upset about something. Only when he heard the distinct voice of Dave did his blood turn to ice. He heard Arlo’s voice speak next, and he dashed out of the kitchen.  
As soon as he saw the scene, his body moved him into action before his mind could properly process.   
“Arlo, no!” he screamed as he flung himself in front of Arlo, throwing his arms out protectively. The last thing he saw was Dave’s frightened face before the sound of a gunshot rang through his ears. Before he knew what had happened, he had hit the floor, vision going dark.  
“Did we get all that?” Arlo asked. “Good.” The cops rushed in, grabbing Dave and disarming him.  
“I’m not crazy!” Dave screamed. “He’s the crazy one!” He pointed at Arlo, who gave him the meanest scowl he could muster. Dave was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the set. One of the police officers looked at Jimmy bleeding out on the floor.  
“An ambulance will be here within five minutes,” he said before leaving. Arlo nodded, silent. As soon as the last of the cops had left, he dropped to his knees, cradling Jimmy in his arms.  
“You can’t die, you dumbass,” he whispered, throat tight. “The last conversation we had was an argument. It can’t end like that.” Jimmy was lifeless and cold in his arms, his wound still bleeding profusely. Arlo took off his overshirt, bundling it up and pressing it to the wound.  
The paramedics found him like that, hunched over Jimmy and whispering a stream of nonsense into his unhearing ear.  
\---  
“Arlo, no!” Jimmy screamed, jolting upright in his hospital bed. The pain hit him like a truck, knocking him back down to the bed. As he writhed in pain, a flash of red caught his eye; a bouquet of roses sat on his bedside table.  
“Ah, you’re finally awake,” an elderly voice said. Jimmy glanced up to see an old man with a handful of pills. “Go on, take ‘em. They’ll help with the pain.” Jimmy reached out a feeble hand, swallowing them quickly.  
“Who brought me these?” he asked in a strained voice.  
“Some young feller with bleached hair. He looked kinda beat-up. Want me to read the tag?” Jimmy could barely manage a nod. “Okay, it says: ‘Jimmy: hurry your ass up and get better. We need you back at the studio.’ And then, in a different color pen, it says: ‘I need you’.”  
It may have just been the pills, but Jimmy felt as though he had ascended to Heaven.  
\---  
Jimmy smiled wide at the impromptu ‘welcome home’ party that had been thrown for him at the studio.  
“Aww, you guys actually missed me?” Cliff handed him a piece of cake.  
“Of course we did, Jimmy. You’re an important part of TV 30.” Jimmy smiled, readjusting the bandage on his forehead.  
“You guys are too sweet.” He sat down, feeling slightly light-headed, and dug into his cake. The rest of the crew followed suit, each of them coming by in turn to talk to Jimmy and thank him.  
As soon as Jimmy finished talking to Sacha, he turned his head to find Arlo last in line. He did not know whether to smile or frown, so he simply remained neutral.  
“Hi, Jimmy,” he said, taking a seat next to him.  
“Arlo,” Jimmy said, turning to grab another piece of cake. Though he usually watched his diet, he felt entitled to a few pieces of cake on this particular day. When he turned around, he saw Arlo holding a single red rose. Despite himself, Jimmy felt his heart flutter.  
“Jimmy, I... I know I can never make up for all those things I said. And I can never begin to thank you for saving my life.I know I’m an asshole, I’m an idiot, I’m a child.”  
“You are,” Jimmy said, taking a bite of cake.  
“But I want you to know that, if you can ever find it in your heart to forgive me, I’m ready to try again.” Jimmy froze, dropping his fork onto the ground. He hesitated for only a moment before pulling Arlo into a fierce embrace.  
“Why do you think I took that bullet for you, you stupid idiot?” he whispered into Arlo’s ear. “Everybody makes mistakes, Arlo. You’re supposed to learn from them, not regret them.” Arlo pulled back to look at Jimmy, eyes shining with child-like hope.  
“You mean you don’t hate me?” Jimmy smiled.  
“Of course not.” Arlo smiled, really smiled this time, before fixing his gaze on Jimmy’s cheek. “What are you looking at?”  
“You have frosting on your cheek,” Arlo mumbled, leaning in close to wipe it away. Jimmy’s breath caught as Arlo’s finger lingered on his cheek. Arlo looked into Jimmy’s eyes for a second longer before leaning in again, this time to remove his glasses and press his lips against Jimmy’s.  
Jimmy was certain that this was all a fever dream brought on by his head wound, or that he had died and this was what Heaven was like. Arlo separated after a few moments, licking his lips.  
“You taste like sugar,” he murmured. Jimmy grabbed him by the shirt collar and yanked him back in.  
\---  
Cliff and Sacha stood behind the set door, waiting impatiently.  
“Where the hell is he?” Sacha muttered. As it happened, Arlo was about twenty feet away in his dressing room, biting and sucking marks into Jimmy’s neck. Jimmy moaned and squeaked with each new sensation, one hand holding Arlo’s head, one dropped to the small of his back. Arlo nibbled at the sensitive skin, causing Jimmy to gasp.  
“We go live in five minutes, you know,” he managed to get out. Arlo looked up at him, grinning devilishly, before giving biting at Jimmy’s adam’s apple. Jimmy had to bring a hand up to stifle a yelp. Arlo closed his mouth, opting instead to kiss Jimmy’s tender skin. “My Arlo,” Jimmy sighed as Arlo lavished attention on him. “My Arlo.”


End file.
